SF Sketchfest, the city's nationally renowned comedy showcase reminds us that, thankfully, this is a town brimming with choice stand-up comedy. Before tech ilk, foodies, and suburban-born street art warriors dominated the city's cultural vibe, comedy ruled. Robin Williams. The Purple Onion. Margaret Cho. North Beach. The roster of names and venues is seemingly endless. And with that, here are seven important reasons why you should buy tickets now to see SF Sketchfest.
7. Jenny Slate: From her infamous (albeit awesome) on-air blunder on SNL to Obvious Child to her stint on Parks & Rec, we love Slate. So should you.
6. "Dr. Katz Professional Therapist" 20th Anniversary Show: Fans of the squiggly-lined animated show will be thrilled to see Jonathan Katz, Tom Snyder, Jon Benjamin, and special guest patients IRL.
5. Celebrity Autobiography: A slew of stars—John Cho, Fred Willard, Janeane Garofalo, Debbie Harry, Jennifer Tilly, Steven Weber, and more—read selections from bad celebrity bios. Heaven.
4. The Princess Bride Quote-Along: A party and screening of this much-loved, oft-quoted cult classic features special guest Cary Elwes. Remember this gem: "Now that's an apple pony princess!" HaHa. OK, fine. I've never seen it. But people sure do love to quote this flick ad infinitum.
3. Julie Brown’s “The Homecoming Queen’s Got A Musical”: Everybody run.
2. Because it's actually funny: Let's face it—San Francisco can, at times, mistake bad political satire for actual humor or wit. SF Sketchfest won't have you drowning in a sea of preaching-to-the-choir ideology masked as smug hilarity. It will, however, have you spewing that pint of pretentious craft beer out your nose via some pretty messed-up jokes.
1. Maria Bamford: Even Louis CK, with much due respect, can't touch the realms of hilarity, self-deprecation, honesty, and inner anguish that Bamford reaches. "Paula Deen Suicide Note" and "Joy Whack-A-Mole" are already legendary. No one can do what she does. Simply put, there's no one better. Wait, let me repeat that: THERE IS NO ONE BETTER.
